Applicability and importance of Caraka′s concept of Aaturaparijnana Hetawah in understanding a patient

Abstract

Many concepts in Ayurveda are untouched or unexplored till date. One of such concepts to understand the healthy and unhealthy persons is that of the Aaturaparijnana Hetawah (APH), which is only mentioned in Caraka Samhita. The descriptions about Dushya, Desha, Bala, Kala, Prakriti, etc. are mentioned very briefly in all the classics. But no standard figure or pattern is maintained while considering them. It is only in the description of Aaturaparijnana Hetawah mentioned in Vimana Sthana that all the factors are pre-arranged in a chronological order to understand an individual according to one’s Desha as from birth till grown up stage, and also to understand about the illness and most common disorders. In this article, it is aimed at presenting an in-depth evaluation about description of Aaturaparijnana Hetawah in Ayurveda. For this study, the references of Aturaparijnana Hetu have been collected through the Ayurvedic texts along with their commentaries. By making use of 14 factors described in Aaturaparijnana Hetawah, it is possible to have an in depth understanding about the patient’s nature and factors that may be contributing to his health and illness. Aaturaparijnana Hetawah helps in an in-depth understanding of a patient’s disease and heath status. More in-depth evaluation studies and application in the modern medical science should be done in order to avail the benefits of this approach.